Royal Navy to lose missiles and be left only with guns

UK Telegraph ^ | November 15, 2016 | Ben Farmer

[captain_dave]

The Royal Navy become a coast guard.

[Lower Deck]

This is just as bad as the recent completion of 3 Zumwalt class destroyers in the USN. Obama cut their budget and the ships are completed, but there’s no funds for any ammo.

To begin with only one of the three is complete with the other two building. Secondly, one of the ammunition types used by the ship's guns does cost $800,000 a round but the Navy has spent over $2 billion to purchase over 2,000 rounds. Given the cost then no, the ship won't be firing too many of them in practice. But given the cost I don't expect they'll be firing many missiles in practice either.

[epluribus_2]

Will do but, really?

[ozzymandus]

Hey, no problem, we’ll save them again like we always do. Uncle Sucker to the rescue yet again.

[dirtboy]

Nothing like bringing guns to a missile fight.

[dangerdoc]

I wonder if Argentina has noticed. Might be time to reacquire some property.

[knighthawk]

Well, it could be worse. The Dutch army ran out of bullets so Dutch soldiers who do training have to shout ‘pang pang’!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3185723/Soldiers-forced-shout-bang-bang-training-ammunition-shortages-Dutch-army.html

[Spktyr]

The Navy cancelled the purchase of the ammo. There are zero non-testing LRLAP rounds for the Zumwalt’s AGS in inventory.

[afsnco]

My how the mighty have fallen. They’re pretty much a brown water navy nowadays.

[NonValueAdded]

As Nelson places an eye patch over both eyes.

[Chode]

gotta pay for the welfare nation somehow...

[Chode]

gotta pay for that $13.46 per gallon bio-fuel somehow

[Oztrich Boy]

Secondly, one of the ammunition types used by the ship's guns does cost $800,000 a round but the Navy has spent over $2 billion to purchase over 2,000 rounds. Given the cost then no, the ship won't be firing too many of them in practice. But given the cost I don't expect they'll be firing many missiles in practice either.

Oh no they won't.

Fistly the LRLAP round is the only one compatibe with the AGS. Secondly total purchase for the three ships is 150 rounds

https://news.usni.org/2016/11/07/navy-planning-not-buying-lrlap-rounds

14,000 cruiser armed with 2 30mm autocannon (I wonder it the 5"/38s from the Long Beach are still available)

[VTenigma]

$800,000 a round

---

Meanwhile seventh century throwbacks deplete our treasuries using AK-47s, RPGs and cold war mortar round IEDs. At least the Military Industrial Complex CEOs are fat and happy.

[Rebelbase]

Won’t be much longer before Argentina decides to take a second look at the Falklands.

[Freelance Warrior]

Won’t be much longer before Argentina decides to take a second look at the Falklands.

The USA would have to join the fight under Article 7 of the NATO treaty. So, the UK needn't the missiles.

[nonsporting]

Well, sink me!

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Why? You guys didn’t rush to help us last time. In any case, 2001 is the only time Article 7 has ever been invoked after 9-11.

[Freelance Warrior]

Because you are still bound by the treaty. The article has been invoked only once, after the 9-11 terror attack, and the UK fought in Iraq as well as in Afghanistan along with the USA. (The right number of the article is 5, my mistake).

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

But the US did not rush to help us the last time the Argies tried their luck with the Falklands. It took several months and them trying to persuade Thatcher to let them have the Falklands. Whilst Jeanne Kirkpatrick, an Irish-American US Ambassador to the UN, tried to undermine us. Eventually, they decided to help us by giving us intelligence and diplomatic support. No troops or ships though. For the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, we provided the same number of troops proportionate to our population size as the US.